


a little less fight (a little more spark)

by DreamBrother



Series: a little less conversation [4]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:00:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23521192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamBrother/pseuds/DreamBrother
Summary: Steve knew, on some level, that one day Danny would find out what he'd done. He just didn't expect this to be the result of it all.(AU after 10x15ish - bring a toothbrush, this is going to be sweet).
Relationships: Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Series: a little less conversation [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1673014
Comments: 46
Kudos: 232





	a little less fight (a little more spark)

**Author's Note:**

> The final instalment - the missing scene from a little more bite (a little less bark) that we all (myself included) wanted! If you haven't read the previous three parts of this series, please do so otherwise this fic will make little sense. 
> 
> For those of you who enjoyed 'a better love', my series finale fix-it, know that a follow up is in the works, but tonight I fancied some pure fluff. No matter what happened in the finale, it doesn't change that we have ten years of the boys loving each other, in whatever way you see it, to hold forever in our hearts. Also, I realised I could spend forever just writing banter between these two boys. 
> 
> Apologies for any typos - it's 3am, and I just wanted to get this out there.

"So, I owe you an apology."

"Danny Williams, apologising? What for? And hey, pass me those dishes, will ya? I'll rinse, you dry. Make yourself useful if you're gonna plant your ass on the counter."

"I accidentally opened some of your mail this morning; I thought it was for me."

"That it? You've spent years insulting everything about me, but this is what you're gonna apologize for?"

"Yup."

"You know that's a federal crime, right? Opening up somebody's mail?"

"Yes, I'm a cop, I do know that."

"Well, I'm in a gracious mood, so you're forgiven."

"Thank you. Wanna know what was in the mail?"

"Sure, Postman Pat, tell me what was in my mail, that you opened, without permission."

"It was an invoice from Kahale and Son Contractors. See, I saw their logo on the envelope, thought it was for me. But turns out it was for you. You owe them $3000 for fixing my roof and fire ant problem, babe. And I don't think I even want to know what it means by security measures."

"Danny…"

"Don't Danny me. I can't believe you went behind my back like this."

"It isn't what it looks like-"

"Oh yeah? So it isn't my friend paying my contractor to fix my shit because he doesn't have the balls to tell me to get out of his house?"

"Danny, no! How can you think that?"

"How can I think that? My contractor sending a bill for my fucking house to you instead of me makes me think that."

"I swear, Danny, I'm not trying to get you to leave. I told you before, you can stay as long as you want."

"Oh yeah? Then what is it? Pity? You think I can't afford to fix up my own damn house, I need you to swoop in and pay for it? What, living at yours for the past few months isn't enough to make me feel like a charity case, you gotta throw in a new roof on top to really rub it in?"

"Danny, stop, you know that's not it."

"Fine. Explain it to me then, I'm all ears."

"Can we… can we go outside please? Grab a beer?"

"Oh shit. This a beer and beach conversation? What the fuck have you done?"

"Nothing! Will you just go outside and wait? I'll grab the beers once I'm done with these."

"Fine. But if I find out you've used this as an excuse to run away, I will find you, I will punch you in the face, and this time I won't hold back."

X

No matter how hard Steve tried, the pile of dishes from his and Danny's dinner eventually diminished to nothing. They were probably the cleanest set of dishes in the entirety of Hawaii, that's how thorough Steve had been, giving him an excuse to put off joining his partner on the beach for precious moments longer, to give him time to figure out how the hell he was going to explain all this without destroying what they had. 

He knew, in the back of his mind where the rational side of his brain sometimes told him his idea was a bit too crazy, in a voice that sounded too much like his partner's, that eventually Danny would find out what he'd done. Originally, he was only going to go to Danny's contractor and get him to delay giving the house back to Danny by having his roof fixed. When Danny had mentioned as Steve cooked his eggs that the contractor had been done with the floorboards and plumbing, that he could move back in, Steve had felt every muscle in his back and neck tense, and he'd had to turn his face towards the stove to avoid showing his facial expression. At the time it had only been a few days since Danny had been in a car accident that had been fatal to his passenger, since his best friend had watched the women he'd fallen for on their first meeting bleed to death in front of him. He couldn't have let Danny leave his home any sooner than he could give up running into situations other people would be running away from. 

Besides, Danny had mentioned his stuff getting damp in the attic when he'd gone up there during the hurricane last year, the boxes he’d never unpacked which still held some of his stuff from Jersey ruined. Not that Steve had any problem with Danny's Jersey stuff being ruined, their continued existence in boxes a reminder that Danny had never truly committed to being in Oahu full time, even nine years later. So technically, getting the roof fixed had been Steve being a very good friend. It had been the work of a moment - finding out who Danny's contractor was, looking into his company history, dropping by when he was alone at Danny's place, and just having a quick chat. That's all it was. And he had plenty of money in his back account, considering he hadn't ever paid rent in his entire life. 

However, Steve was an honest man. He couldn't deny that Danny staying longer had other benefits beyond being able to keep an eye on his best friend during a vulnerable time for him. He loved Junior, he was a brother in arms, but he also knew the younger man looked up to him as a mentor and sort of father figure. Fine at work, but as housemates it meant Steve could never quite stop being SuperSEAL even in his own space. But with Danny, he could be himself. There was a joy in knowing the other man wouldn't take any of his shit, and would give back as good as he got, if not more. They'd fallen into a pattern. Steve would go for a swim, sometimes Danny would go for a run, maybe not. Either way, their routine meant neither had to wait to use the shower. Then, Steve would make the coffee and breakfast because Danny couldn't cook eggs for shit, and in the evenings Danny would cook dinner in return. It worked. 

So a few weeks later when Steve realised the roof issue would soon be fixed… he couldn't help himself. It wasn't hard to procure fire ants, and leave some in Danny's house in the middle of the night, and give them just enough time to spread before he went to Bobby Kahale to get it sorted. 

And to be honest, the idea of security measures was a stroke of genius on Steve's part. He was upset with himself for not thinking of them sooner. Unlike Steve, Danny couldn't afford to hide a gun in the breadbox in case of intruders, not with two kids living semi-permanently with him. So Steve had to get creative, and boy, had he ideas. Reinforced doorways and doors. Shatterproof glass. Steve had been toying with the idea of a panic room in the basement, constructing blueprints in his mind, which is why he hadn't noticed the invoice from Kahale and Son Contractors in his name, and now the gig was up. 

Fuck.

Sighing, Steve dried his hands and pulled out the cooler from under the cupboard by the sink, filling it with beers from the fridge, as Steve didn't think this would be a one beer each kinda conversation. As he wandered down towards where Danny was sitting in his standard chair, he wondered if he should have hidden the keys to the Camaro and Silverado in case their conversation ended with Danny driving far far away from Steve.

Nah. Steve could just tackle Danny if he made a move to leave. He was sure Junior would help, except the younger man was currently deployed. Nevermind, Eddie could help, he was fairly sure Eddie loved Danny enough to not bite him if Danny started fighting against Steve’s hold. 

"Finally, babe. You were about ten seconds and a busted nose away from me making you the third prettiest person in Five-O."

"You mean I'm second now?" Steve protested as he sat down and opened the cooler. "Who's the first?" Unscrewing the top of two bottles, he handed one to Danny before taking a long sip from his own.

"Adam. The cheekbones. No one else stands a chance, unless Chin comes back."

Steve pushed down the stab of jealousy that hit him as he swallowed the cool liquid. "Thanks, partner. So much for having my back."

"Why do you think I watch your back? Easier than staring at your ugly mug all day."

"You really know how to make a guy feel loved, you know?"

"I know. So, you wanna tell me what that invoice is all about, or you wanna be insulted a bit more? I can go all day." 

"I know you can."

"Steve." 

Steve sighed, and took a last long sip of beer before he lit the match that would probably go on to set aflame the best relationship he had ever had with another person his entire life. "I didn't want you to leave. I knew eventually you'd start feeling guilty for staying here when your house was ready, so I took the decision out of your hands. I knew you didn't think I actually literally meant it when I said you could stay here as long as you wanted."

"So you went and spoke to my contractor?"

"Yeah. Told him you had problems with your roof. But he's a good guy, he didn't think there was anything wrong, and didn't want to charge you for it, so I told him I'd pay for it, and he could take his time getting around to it."

"The fire ants?"

"I placed them there when Bobby called to say the roof had been fixed, then asked him to sort it."

"And the security measures?"

Danny was being too calm for this. It meant the inevitable explosion was going to be even bigger than Steve feared. "I couldn't think of anything else, had to improvise, he was getting itchy feet about delaying the house for so long. Played the whole dangerous jobs card."

"Huh. And that time we saw Bobby at Kamekona's?"

"Yeah, he knew who I was, but I'd told him that you couldn't know that he knew me."

"No wonder the guy looked minutes away from a heart attack."

"Yeah." Steve took another sip. He hadn't worked with Danny for ten years to not know his interrogation tricks. First he would ask the easy questions, get the suspect comfortable. And then he went in for the kill. 

"Steve. Why didn't you want me to leave?"

"Because I want you to stay, Danny."

"In your house?"

"Yeah."

"But there's no space for me, babe."

"Yes, there is."

"Where? Because if you've got a magic extra bedroom that you've been hiding the entire time I've slept on your couch, I really will punch you."

"No, there's no magic extra bedroom. But there is my bedroom."

"Your bedroom?"

"Yes."

"Your bedroom, with you in it?"

"Ideally, yes."

“You and me, in your bedroom, at the same time?”

“Yes.”

"And what about when you bring your dates home?"

"Well, if you're in my bedroom, technically you'll be the only date I'll be bringing home."

"Steve."

"Danny."

"I can't joke about this, Steve. Not this."

"I'm not joking, Danny."

"Why now? It's been ten years."

"You moved in, and I realised I never wanted you to move out. Ever."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

For a few minutes, all that could be heard was the sound of crashing waves. Then Danny spoke.

"So?"

"So what?"

"You gonna give me a tour?"

"A tour? Of what?"

"Your bedroom. Gotta have a preview before I sign on the dotted line babe, first rule of house hunting." Steve's confusion eased as he finally turned to look at Danny since their conversation began, spotting the giant shit-eating grin on his partner's face. But it was the relief in Danny's eyes that destroyed the rock of nerves that had settled in Steve's gut since he'd finally given voice to his innermost desires.

"Oh yeah? How's this for a preview?" Dropping his beer bottle into the sand, Steve dropped to his knees in front of Danny, and reached out with both hands to grip the collar of Danny's shirt and tug him forward into the first of hopefully many more kisses. It was everything he’d imagined, yet completely different at the same time, and Steve couldn’t get enough. Emboldened when he felt Danny give as good as he got, Steve let the kiss carry on for a minutes before he pulled back just far enough to whisper: 

"Good enough?"

"Hmm, promising, but still gonna need the full tour," replied Danny as his fingers started slipping through the gaps between the buttons of Steve's shirt. Steve tried to stifle his gasp as Danny's beer-bottle-chilled fingers made contact with the skin of his chest by shutting Danny up with another kiss, although from the way he could feel his partner's lip stretch in a smile, he knew he had failed. He didn't think his body was on fire, but kissing Danny sure made it feel like it was, and Danny's fingers left behind trails of flame, especially as those sneaky digits started separating buttons from their holes and before Steve knew it, his partner was parting his shirt and the entirety of Steve's chest was at the mercy of Danny's wandering fingers.

Calling on all his years of resisting the temptation that was currently using his lips to get familiar with the rest of Steve's face, Steve grabbed Danny's hands. 

"Danny, Danny, stop, stop." Steve gritted his teeth as he felt his partner tense and pull back, causing him to get to his feet and yank his partner up off the chair with him. "I mean, not here. Come on." Steve started walking back towards the house, pulling his partner with him.

"Steve, the beer."

"Leave it, I'll grab it later. Come on, you wanted a tour, you'll get a tour."

They had just gotten to the garden when Danny pulled, hard, on the hand held in Steve's grip and before Steve could react, he was being pushed up against one of the trees in his backyard, the tree trunk pressing into his back as his partner plastered himself against Steve's front before yanking his head down and shoving his tongue into Steve's mouth. 

They could have been there for five minutes or an hour for all Steve knew. His sole thought was that he should have found time to build a treehouse so getting Danny onto a flat surface would have been the work of moments, as opposed to having to go all the way into the house, up the stairs, and into the bedroom.

But alas, no tree house, bedroom it was. Steve pushed back against Danny's chest even as he chased Danny's lips with his.

"Danny, please. Bed, soft, horizontal."

"Hmm, Danny, hard, vertical."

Steve felt heat rush to his cheeks as he jerked his head back and stared at his partner. 

"Aww, I made you blush." Danny's eyes were bright and his smile wide, looking far too in control for a man whose normally perfect hair was a mess and whose lips had gone red from Steve's ministrations. "What's wrong, babe? Buyer's remorse?" 

Steve frowned slightly as he sensed the current of nerves underneath his partner's bluster and charm. 

"First one to my room wins; loser cooks breakfast."

"You're on."

Steve deliberately let Danny win. Love of his life or not, he still wasn’t eating Danny’s eggs. 

X

"What's that face?"

"I'm thinking."

"Don't hurt yourself."

"All the effort you went through to get me into your bed, you gonna sass me two hours in?"

"Apologies, Daniel. Please, regale me with the thoughts that are currently occupying that beautiful mind of yours, I can't keep waiting any longer, my life has no meaning if you don't share." 

"Smooth dog, my ass. I'd punch you in the face except I've got some ideas of how you can use your mouth later."

"Oh yeah? Should I grab a pen and paper, make a list of these ideas of yours? I've got some ideas of my own too, you know."

"Later. Right now, I'm thinking of all the things you could have bought me for three thousands bucks other than unnecessary repairs to a house that I'm not living in."

"You're kidding, right?"

"I'm not kidding.I think Best Buy are selling a 65-inch Samsung QLED TV for about $2500 right now, we would have been able to see the pores on Peyton Manning's face. Actually, maybe you should write this down, for the next time you wanna start splashing some cash on me."

"You're serious."

"Deadly serious. We could have gone to Nobu and had a wagyu steak the size of Charlie's head, each, every week for two months."

"And a heart attack right after."

"We could have flown first class to Berkeley to see Grace, made a week out of it."

"You keep saying we."

"What, you don't want to come with me to see my beautiful daughter, or eat steak, or see the pores on Peyton Mannning's face?"

"Steak and Grace, yes. Peyton Manning's pores, no."

"Well, you're not allowed to make any decisions, you deliberately infested my house with fire ants and then paid a guy $500 to get rid of them."

"Okay, how about this? If I hadn't spent that money, you wouldn't be here in bed with me right now. Did you think about that?"

"Um… thanks for making me sound like a two dollar whore."

"You mean three thousand dollar whore." As Danny sputtered Steve grabbed him by the bicep and pulled him over him until they were lying chest to chest. Running his fingers over the shaved sides of his partner's head, enjoying the softness, he added, "worth every penny."

Smirking in the face of Danny's glare which lost much if its heat considering the blonde man was learning into Steve's hand as Steve started lightly scratching his partner's head, the same way Mr Pickles did when Steve would scritch him under his chin. The only thing missing was the purring.

"Seriously though, how far would you have gone? So I know about the roof, the fire ants, the security measures you will tell me about later. What would have been next?" Danny asked as he turned his head slightly to get Steve's fingers to move to a specific spot. Steve was more than happy to oblige. 

"Well, I did think about starting a fire. Contained, not much damage, but enough to have all the electrics in your house checked out."

"Arson. Your next step was arson? You're unbelievable."

"I said I thought about it, not that I was actually going to do it."

"For you, the line between thinking and doing is basically non-existent, my friend."

"I just did you. Should I have thought about that more?"

"As if you haven't been thinking about this for years. Admit it, you've been pining for this prime piece of Jersey real estate since the day I punched you in the face."

"No."

"No as in you haven't been pining?"

"No, as in I won't admit it."

"Jesus, McGarrett, sex makes you soft."

"Whereas you have the opposite effect on certain parts of me."

"Fuck."

"That's the idea."

"Ready to go again?"

"Don't ask questions you already know the answer to."

X

For the first time in a long time, Steve woke up with a smile already on his face. The soft morning light filtering through the net curtains told him that it was early yet, sooner than he was normally up for his morning swim. Usually waking up before his standard swim time was indicative of a night spent battling the demons in his mind, but not this time. This time, it was anticipation for what he knew awaited him the other side of sleep, the same kind of feeling he imagined kids felt on Christmas morning when they still believed in the magic of Santa. It had been a long, long time since Steve had experienced that feeling. 

Turning fully towards the reason behind said feeling, Steve reached out and gently draped his arm across Danny's naked back, the entire expanse visible to Steve's eyes as the other man was passed out on his front. Danny's breaths were soft and deep, so Steve knew it would be a while before his partner woke up. 

So, Steve started planning. He already knew the dates of Grace's next family weekend at college; all he had to do was get approval for both Danny and himself taking that weekend off and he could book the flights. It wasn't the same weekend as Will's family weekend at his college so he knew Lou wouldn't mind stepping in. They wouldn't necessarily fly first class, Steve could save that luxury for a unique occasion.

Next, the TV. Steve's current TV had been one of his first purchases back when he'd started Five-O and was making the transition from active duty to civilian life. It was time for a new one, and if he had his way, Danny was never moving out again so it could be Danny's moving in present. Or rather, a reward for when Danny get rid of his fucking house. Plus, it made sense to upgrade the home entertainment system considering watching old and current games was a surefire way of unwinding after a bad case or a long day for both of them. Even though Steve was certain they could help each other unwind in more entertaining ways from now on.

As for Nobu, well, Steve didn't have to worry anymore about where to take Danny on their first official dinner date. They wouldn't even need the menu. He would have to call Kamekona later to see if one of his contacts could get them a table for two this Saturday night. 

Okay so yeah, Danny was right, there were so many other things he could have blown $3000 on.

But having Danny next to him, in his home, in his bed, in his arms? 

Priceless. 

**Author's Note:**

> And so, it ends! The series started off as a silly little outsider POV, but all of your comments were genuinely the reason the series made it this far, no joke. I have appreciated every single comment, and as much I hope to have brought some light relief and a smile to your face, your words have done the same for me. Thank you so much.


End file.
